Messages - Jason M Lamontagne

Tuesday looks to be (unusually) quiet, as I need to stay home with my daughter, who is ill. Some of the other regulars are away for various reasons, so if you're watching here and thinking of coming, Wednesday would be far better.

Wednesday we'll be full force again. Plan to work on the Mountain, cutting a few trees, and perhaps doing some additional surveying. Back up plan is shop work, on No 10's boiler, along with various other ongoing efforts.

About 30 volunteers signed the book.Steve P served breakfast as planned. A nice beginning (though I was late and missed the meat... )Work train departed at 8:31.All of locajton 3 was cut, save for a few trees. Two fires burned all of today’s brush.Public trains ran as planned 10-2, hourly.Steve P (with others) manned 320, staged on the mill spur at ToM, as a warming hut and sign in location. (At one point I walked by and heard him playing his accordion and singing Bingo was his namo... must have been good). Hot cocoa and project info could also be found in there.74 paid, I believe just under 100 total head count.

On the last trip, x9 dropped its two coaches (3 and BRV’s 11) on the mill spur, went over the hill to retrieve 8 w workers on board, went back up to add in the first to coaches, and brought all 3 back.

Many families w kids, and most actually did hike the trails- so very pleased with how well this idea worked. Truly let the train be transportation instead of the focal point. At least a couple of families ventured down to the cutting crews as well.

The Portland Company’s original MAWP was 140 psi. The replacement boiler, as a new ASME power boiler, could be designed to whatever pressure we chose. We chose to use the original.

Some designers design to a higher MAWP than that to be used in operation, as a means of overdesign to account for deterioration. We’ve always felt that is a fallacy; instead we design for the intended pressure, and calculate the minimum required thickness of each component; when that number is compared to as built thickness, one readily has as built corrosion allowance. Likewise for anytime in the boilers life.

Originally thought we’d make new, all steel insta track but we have a retro-fit plan for the McNamara originals which we plan to use instead. They will need to do more work as they support a fully loaded flatcar and full size locomotive.

The week prior to the work weekend, we’ll pull 3 out of every 4 gauge side spikes from this stretch. On the afternoon of the photo charter, the rails will be pulled in full 600 foot strings south, in the gauge of the remaining track. Thus the breaking down during the intervening week.

We have gotten permission from the DEP to clear trees from the permitted Section 3 "Pinch Point" area! This will be done, along with burning as much of that new slash, and old slash remaining from prior clearing on Section 4.

Mike will drive up first thing in the AM.

Diesel work train with one coach will depart SS 8:30AM. Volunteers who want to help with cutting and burning are encouraged to ride this train, however feel free to ride a later public train up to the action.

Steam passenger trains will begin running at 10AM with two coaches. They will run at least hourly, last train leaving SS at 2PM.

There will be a caboose set up at ToM with heat, hot chocolate, and Steve P to host the public.

We have gotten permission from the DEP to clear trees from the permitted Section 3 "Pinch Point" area! This will be done, along with burning as much of that new slash, and old slash remaining from prior clearing on Section 4.

Mike will drive up first thing in the AM.

Diesel work train with one coach will depart SS 8:30AM. Volunteers who want to help with cutting and burning are encouraged to ride this train, however feel free to ride a later public train up to the action.

Steam passenger trains will begin running at 10AM with two coaches. They will run at least hourly, last train leaving SS at 2PM.

There will be a caboose set up at ToM with heat, hot chocolate, and Steve P to host the public.

The original WW&F did not use steam heat, as far as we know. Our coaches 3 and 8 have remnants of Edaville’s steam heat system, but these remnants are very deteriorated and not serviceable. We’ve considered installing a steam heat system, as well as stoves as the original railway used. At the moment there’s not been any hard fast decision.

The loop trail is what I had mind. If you’d mark your recollection on a map Saturday morning, it’d be good to work from. I was going to go up the mill spur and continue out to the Palace, then swing around the ridge above the Brook, then south and back west.

I don’t anticipate taking much crew away from you for long- but tree work is a priority.

Well- to be clear- I’m not a diesel fan, and don’t much care for the “what if” exercise. However we need a main line diesel, out of necessity.

I want to reiterate- we likely will not build from scratch. I don’t mind the design-from-scratch drawings which Robert intends to propose, as they’ll likely feed our net result. I suggest, Robert, that you not worry too deeply about fine design details- esp mechanical- until you produce and aire a concept drawing. As mentioned, it’ll probably morph a lot during the review process.

Am I clear in understanding that the extent of your project, at least at present, is to prepare drawings? Anything more would require the board to review the plans and approve the project, even if materials and labor are donated, to ensure the resulting machine would be appropriate. That said, the mental exercise your proposing, along with the resulting plans, sounds like an interesting project.

I can confirm that we are growing more interested in a 2-truck diesel locomotive. 52 is an industrial machine designed for slow speed and is ill suited for our main line use. Above 6 or 8 MPH it’s hard on itself and track. It (52) is also the reason we’re so restrictive on pony plow and snow flanger design. Carpenter steel called them “dinky’s.” They’re not meant for what the WW&F is all about.

We most likely would not build a 2 truck diesel locomotive from scratch; it’s too far outside of our mission to devote that many resources. We’d likely try to locate an existing machine which requires rebuilding, in order to keep costs down. We’ve thought of some alternatives including the use of two Plymouth dinky carcasses.

That said, if you develop some designs and drawings, it’d be great to see them!

Some helpful design hints: keep most weight on the chassis and off the truck frames. Trucks should be as light as possible. Prime movers should be standardized; either gen-sets or hydraulic power units depending on the transmission of choice. Center cab with dual prime movers preferable.

If we used dinky carcasses, we’d couple the two chassis together, as if double heading two 52’s, put floating center pivots on, a girder frame atop those- then two hydraulic power packs or gensets around a center cab. Plymouth chassis would retain their final chain drive, and be powered by hydraulic or electric motors. Plymouth engine cowling and radiators used as is; new cab which would allow some custom styling.

We’d also thought of regauging a 3-foot center cab, or semi-scratch building from a standard gauge carcass.

When will this happen? We have plenty of someday projects; it’s healthy to aspire.